Daily post 25 Aug 2013 04:24 am
Sunday
I was a bit disappointed that there was so little attention given to the obvious success and controversy for Miyazaki’s new film, The Wind Rises. This is so certainly one of the films that the director believed in yet. It also makes it into the NYFilm Festival, yet so little is mentioned of it in the papers. That tied into the controversy the film has created in his own country, and I’m perplexed. It’s a great look at Imperial Japan in the decades leading up to the Second World War through the eyes of airplane designer Jiro Horikoshi. Like Porco Rosso, the film is built around an aviator/aircraft designer and takes us through the history of Japanese aircraft. I can’t wait. The rest of the world seems a bit more patient.
From the trailer it has the look of Poppy Trail, the most recent Ghibli feature that was directed by Goram Myazaki, but almost immedately within that trailer you can see the strength of a several strong climactic scenes. The earthquake alone looks stunning, and the aftermath seems crucial to this new movie.
The Wind Rises
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We know that in 2014 the Walt Disney company will take full charge of Ghbili. This tells us that our favorite neighbor, Totoro will be stalking Mickey and Minnie about Disney World, but we don’t know if it’ll add anything to the film’s viewership. One can only hope so. Apparently animation has been fully in production on some series not yet seen in the US.
The cast is a good one, but the film is an Oprah Winfrey book of the week. I was not around when the Academy screened The Butler, so I missed the post interview with Oprah Winfrey and Forest Whitaker. They both put in good performances, particularly Whitaker, but the film is like knocking on dead wood. It’s a review of the 20th century by Forest Gump. So much is inored and passed over that you think these people couldn’t be apolitical, they had to be brain dead. Only after leaving his job in the WHite House does Whitaker’s character come to life and start realizing how little he’s done in his lifetime. None of the Presidents represented look like the people they’re supposed to be, although Alan Rickman sounds a lot like Reagan.
Maybe it would have helped if the film had a political thought in its head except for obvious ones. Racism bad, VietNam bad. Do we really need a film to tell us this or worse a film about a group of characters that chooses to ignore it all.
The worst part is that there’s a good movie hiding, but these people weren’t able to locate it.
on 25 Aug 2013 at 7:50 am 1.Mark Mayerson said …
Michael, I must have missed something. What is this about Disney and Ghibli in 2014?
on 25 Aug 2013 at 9:57 am 2.David Nethery said …
“We know that in 2014 the Walt Disney company will take full charge of Ghibli.”
Really ? I also missed this announcement. Where and when was this announced ? This would be an unusual move for Disney considering how they don’t have any particular interest in producing or promoting hand drawn animation at this time.
on 25 Aug 2013 at 11:07 am 3.Nat said …
There was an April Fool’s joke about Disney buying out Ghibli on the Ghibli Blog a while back.
http://ghiblicon.blogspot.it/2013/04/breaking-disney-to-acquire-studio.html
Disney has long been in charge of Ghibli’s dubs and Western distribution, but it can’t edit anything without the company’s approval. Where did you here about the buyout, Michael?
on 25 Aug 2013 at 12:51 pm 4.Charles Kenny said …
I am almost 100% sure that the Disney/Ghibli deal was an April Fool’s joke that got out of hand.
on 25 Aug 2013 at 5:17 pm 5.Martin Juneau said …
I tough the Disney/Ghibli transaction was expired for a other small company. I’m not sure have hearing that announcement before.
on 25 Aug 2013 at 8:01 pm 6.Animador said …
Yep the “disney will take charge of ghibli in 2014″ is an april fools day started by ghiblicon.
http://ghiblicon.blogspot.com/2013/04/breaking-disney-to-acquire-studio.html
on 26 Aug 2013 at 9:42 am 7.Genaro Prieto said …
Here you can find the theatrical trailer with english subtitles: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PhHoCnRg1Yw
and a interesting interview to Hayao Miyazaki about ‘Kaze Tachinu’: http://ajw.asahi.com/article/cool_japan/movies/AJ201308040009
on 26 Aug 2013 at 9:45 am 8.Genaro Prieto said …
And all the controversy:
(1) The Washington Post: http://blogs.wsj.com/japanrealtime/2013/07/26/miyazakis-film-the-wind-rises-spurring-mixed-emotions/
(2) The Economist: http://www.economist.com/blogs/banyan/2013/07/new-film-hayao-miyazaki
(3) Los Ãngeles Times: http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/moviesnow/la-et-mn-the-wind-rises-trailer-miyazaki-20130815,0,314360.story
(4) The Guardian: http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/aug/23/hayao-miyazaki-film-wind-rises
on 26 Aug 2013 at 10:02 am 9.Genaro Prieto said …
And interesting opinion articles:
(1)’Miyazaki Hayao and the Asia-Pacific War’: http://japanfocus.org/events/view/189
(2)’Miyazaki mulls modernism, in all its beauty and menace’: http://the-japan-news.com/news/article/0000480459
(3)’ In latest film, Miyazaki not afraid to grapple with contradictions of war’: http://ajw.asahi.com/article/cool_japan/movies/AJ201308230014
on 26 Aug 2013 at 10:06 am 10.Doug said …
If that Ghibli/Disney news is a joke then it’s a cruel one. Please let it not be so.
on 27 Aug 2013 at 2:46 pm 11.Genaro Prieto said …
Disney Will Release Miyazaki’s “The Wind Rises” in the United States: http://www.cartoonbrew.com/feature-film/hayao-miyazakis-the-wind-rises-gets-an-english-trailer-festival-dates-and-a-touch-of-controversy-87650.html